Skin cancer: Dermatologists issue warning after an increase in melanoma cases detected in regional Queensland

Rockhampton-based Dermatology Solutions clinic is a specialist dermatologist skin check enterprise focusing on access for rural and regional people.

Dermatology Solutions CEO Jessica Taylor said in just one week, the regional clinic has detected three melanomas in young people.

Ms Taylor said the increase in skin cancers detected in young people is quite significant.

"We're seeing an increase in melanomas being diagnosed in Central Queensland," Ms Taylor said.

"For many years, people haven't looked after their skin and most of the people that come to see us are farmers. Sun protection wasn't pushed on them when they were younger.

"We also get a lot of people that drive trucks and they're in their 60s now and finding a lot of lesions on their skin and they're concerned and they're coming in for skin checks."

Ms Taylor said there was a recent case involving a young mother of four from rural Queensland, who visited the clinic and found she had a melanoma under her bra strap.

"We had one of mum of four come in for a skin check. She's a farmer's wife and she lives eight hours away from Rockhampton," she said.

"The women came in just for a skin check, didn't think anything of it and we found a melanoma just under her bra strap and she never knew it was there.

"We were able to catch it early, but a couple of months later, it would have been a different story.

"When you're young, you don't think about it and that's not the case with melanomas and particularly in Central Queensland."

Ms Taylor said there is a lot of genetic components that come into melanoma cases, but said the people could have the deadly skin cancer anywhere on their body and at any age.

"We're so used to the skin of people in the Capricornia area, it is the melanoma capital of the world and that's literally why we've set up the clinic because of the need up there," she said.

Rockhampton's Dermatology Solutions clinic features a total body imaging machine, which creates a 3D avatar of each patient to track and detect changes to spots on the skin.

IN OTHER NEWS:

Ms Taylor said there are only a couple of the machines in Australia and Rockhampton has one.

"At the clinic, we go through the hair through the nails and check all of the places that you wouldn't normally check yourself," she said.

"Then we have a dermatologists review and with that machine, if someone is perhaps on surveillance and they need to have their mole checked, our machine can detect whether any of the moles have changed.

"That means we can pick them up pretty early, where as a GP often relies on their memory.

"The 3D machine remembers and detects any changes, as well as our team in the clinic, they look through your body as well and we can compare all of the images of all of the lesions on the body."

Ms Taylor said bookings at the practice were easy and usually takes about one hour for the dermatologists to review the whole body.

"The best thing with melanoma (skin cancer) is if you catch it early, it can be cured," she said.

"We can get it early, we can cut it out, but when it gets beyond that, it can it's life threatening and people will die from melanomas.

"What we're saying is a one hour appointment can not only change your life, it could save your life."